KITTY definition in American English | Collins English Dictionary (2025)

COBUILD frequency band

kitty

(kɪti )

Word forms: plural kitties

1.countable noun

A kitty is an amount of money gathered from several people, which is meant to be spent on things that these people will share or use together.

You haven't put any money in the kitty for three weeks.

2.countable noun

A kitty is the total amount of money which is bet in a gambling game, and which is taken by the winner or winners.

Each month the total prize kitty is $13.5 million.

3.countable noun

A kitty is a cat, especially a young cat.

[informal]

...a cute little kitty.

...kitty litter made of wood shavings.

4.countable noun

Kitty is sometimes used as an affectionate way of referring to a cat or a kitten.

[informal]

"Gertie!" the kids were calling into the yard. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!"

Kitty in American English

(ˈkɪti )

noun

a feminine name

kitty in American English 1

(ˈkɪti )

nounWord forms: plural ˈkitties

a kitten

chiefly a child's term

2. a pet name for

a cat of any age

COBUILD frequency band

kitty in American English 2

(ˈkɪti )

nounWord forms: plural ˈkitties

in poker,

the stakes or pot

a pool formed from part of the winnings, to pay for refreshments, etc.

money pooled for some particular purpose

widow (sense 2)

Word origin

prob. < kit1

COBUILD frequency band

kitty in American English 1

(ˈkɪti)

nounWord forms: plural -ties

a kitten

a pet name for a cat

Word origin

[1710–20; kitt(en) + -y2]

COBUILD frequency band

kitty in American English 2

(ˈkɪti)

nounWord forms: plural -ties

a pool or reserve of money, often collected from a number of persons or sources and designated for a particular purpose specified by the contributors

2.Cards

a pool into which players in a game put a certain amount of their winnings for some special purpose, as to pay for refreshments

the pot, or a special pot, for the collection of forfeits or payments for certain high hands

c. widow (sense 2)

Word origin

[1815–25; kit1 + -y2]

COBUILD frequency band

Kitty in American English

(ˈkɪti)

noun

a female given name, form of Catherine or Katherine

COBUILD frequency band

kitty in British English 1

(ˈkɪtɪ )

nounWord forms: plural -ties

a diminutive or affectionate name for a kitten, cat1

Word origin

C18: see kit3

COBUILD frequency band

kitty in British English 2

(ˈkɪtɪ )

nounWord forms: plural -ties

the pool of bets in certain gambling games

any shared fund of money, etc

(in bowls) the jack

Word origin

C19: see kit1

Examples of 'kitty' in a sentence

kitty

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I think for tomorrow we 'll sort out a kitty so nobody is getting away with it.

The Guardian (2017)

These love poets couldn't write their way out of a bag of kitty litter.

The Guardian (2016)

He hired a new illustrator whose kitty cats, badgers and little foxes turned out significantly sweeter.

The Guardian (2016)

Once the privacy kitty cat is out of the bag, it's a tough job to stuff her back in again.

The Guardian (2016)

And then, just as the experiment was about to get underway, a hacker exploited a flaw in the code to make off with roughly a third of the kitty.

The Guardian (2017)

There was money in the kitty.

The Sun (2009)

So they may call leopards and lions "kitty cats," or a toy fire engine a " car.

Bee, Helen The Developing Child (7th edn.) (1995)

There may be no money in the kitty - but the evidence is that they would pay for themselves as the economy bounced back.

The Sun (2008)

The Swansea manager said that with a modest transfer kitty, he wants value for money.

Times, Sunday Times (2012)

If we're putting money in the kitty, then we should either have a say on compliance or how they spend the money.

Times, Sunday Times (2011)

KITTY definition in American English | Collins English Dictionary (2025)

kitty

Kitty in American English

kitty in American English 1

kitty in American English 2

kitty in American English 1

kitty in American English 2

Kitty in American English

kitty in British English 1

kitty in British English 2

Examples of 'kitty' in a sentence

References